I Now Pronounce You Dramione
by countrygirlemma
Summary: When Ron files to have sole custody of their kids, Hermione's only choice is to marry someone so she can keep her children.
1. Chapter 1

It had been a long day for Hermione. The department had sent her out on a really long and tiring mission with her partner. They had been run ragged chasing after a renegade Death Eater. The day had been productive, but now she was not ready to go home and deal with cooking dinner for her two children- Rose and Hugo. She loved her son and daughter with all her heart, but having to come home and do all the work around the house without any help was just too demanding. Up until a year ago she had been somewhat helped by a Mr. Ronald Weasley when it came to household chores and taking care of the children. Up until a year ago, she had been in a happy marriage, or so she had assumed until the divorce papers had shown up on her desk one day. The only explanation he had given her that day was that he just wasn't feeling the love between them anymore. Now he was off gallivanting around with different girls each week while she was taking care of their two children and holding down a very high stress job!

Hermione thought about this while she walked to the grates in the Ministry of Magic atrium. She knew that the minute she walked through that fireplace she had to put on her "big girl panties" and deal with the lot that she had been dealt in this life. She gave out a big sigh and braced herself as she grabbed some flew powder and through it down into the fire saying her address clearly.

Hermione walked out of the grate the next morning exhausted, but ready for a productive work day. As she walked on the lift to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a familiar head of blond hair caught her attention. She scooted in closer to him as other passengers boarded the lift and gave a soft smile as his greeting of morning.

"Ready for a fierce day at work, Granger?"

"Only if you are, Malfoy. It's been a long night and I could use a criminal to take all my frustration out on…I'm feeling particularly perturbed at my ex-husband this morning," she replied.

Malfoy laughed at her statement as the lift came to a stop on their level. The two started down the hallway in an amicable silence until they reached the Auror department. Upon opening the door and giving the usual, "hellos," in greetings, they made their way to the back of the bull pen where their desks sat facing each other. As they approached, Hermione noticed an ordinary Ministry owl sitting on her desk with a decent sized envelope attached to its leg.

Curiously, Hermione took the offered missive from the owl and slowly broke the seal. As she began to open the letter and scan the continents, Draco began to riffle through the Daily Prophet that had been placed on his desk. When he flipped the newspaper to the society section, he allowed a low whistle to escape his lips. This jester, however, went unnoticed by the rest of the department as Hermione let out a shrill cry at the same moment.

Tears of anger and disbelief began to run down Hermione's face as Draco took the paper out of her hand and began to silently read the attorney letter telling Hermione that due to Ron's recent marriage and his increase in joint income, he could and would appeal to gain full custody of their children. Draco's fist began to shake in anger as he threw the paper down and stormed to the Head Auror's office.

Red in the face, Draco spoke before the director could speak. "Hermione needs to take the day off. She isn't feeling her best today and will not perform well. I'm taking her home. I think it also might be a good idea for me to stay and take care of her."

"Well, if she isn't doing well then go ahead and take her home, Malfoy. Just make sure she will be able to work tomorrow."

"If you say so, Potter. But I'm taking my leave now." With that Draco promptly left the office and walked back out to his desk where Hermione had not moved at all. She was still quivering over her desk from the tears. Draco grabbed her hand and, without any struggle from her, walked out of the Auror office, down the hall to the lift. Once in the lift and after pushing the button for the first floor, he pulled Hermione into his arms to comfort her. His comforting didn't last long though. He looked down at the crying woman in his arms at the same time that she looked up at him. They slowly let each other go and Hermione slowly stopped crying.

"Why did you do that?" Hermione questioned Draco.

"Why do you think I did it? Not for you, obviously." A sneer was on his face as he continued, "If you were in a bad way today, then you would have put me in a dangerous situation. I was saving my own neck."

Hermione's face fell a little as she replied, "Well for whatever reason, thank you. You can enjoy your day off now I guess. I'm about to go home a try to figure out what to do now. There has got to be a way that the Ministry will give me my children!"

"Well that's your problem Granger, not mine." It was obvious to Draco that in the moment that their eyes' had meet, he knew that he had to be his old self or something bad would happen. Something bad meaning that he would actually start carrying for her and her life. He was just about to get off the lift and head to his manor when he looked over his shoulder to Hermione. Her face looked like she was going to simply die from the crisis her life had become. Against his better judgment, Draco turned around and walked over to her.

"Why aren't you getting in your own grate? I thought you didn't care about me," said Hermione, not really looking at him while she waited.

"Well, I told Potter that I was taking you home and I need something to put as a good deed on my taxes. So I will listen to you whine about your situation today so that I have my partner back tomorrow." With that he walked into the fireplace, said her address and with a flare of green flames he was gone.

When Hermione has finally walked through the fireplace and into her simple three bedroom flat, she was no less amazed to find Malfoy sitting on her armchair. She ignored his presence for the time being and walked into her modest kitchen to make herself a strong brew of tea to calm her nerves.

What was she going to do? What could she possibly do to keep her children? Yes, she could go to court and try to expose Ron's past and show how wrong it would be to place her children permanently with him, but that would do no good. He was the man, he had a higher salary; he was the married one so he could now fully supply a mother and father figure to the children. As a single mother with a dangerous career, Hermione knew she didn't stand a chance

With these depressing thoughts racing through her head, Hermione poured herself a cup of tea and stalked into the living room. She was surprised to still find Malfoy there. He seemed to just be staring into space, completely comfortable within her home. He didn't really concern her though-she could ignore him as long as he kept his mouth shut. She prayed he would as sat down with her tea on the oversized couch as she picked up one of Hugo's toys.

She held the toy in her hand, just starring at it with glazed over eyes. How could he take away her children? What made it come to this- whose idea was this? She put him up to this, she thought, or at least she believed so until Malfoy answered her.

"She wants children along with money. That's why she left me. I had the money, just not the children to provide her. She doesn't want to birth them her own."

Hermione was shocked by this statement. "Wow, I can't believe that Astoria would do this! But that information helps me none. Even if I take that to the court, they will still give the children to Ronald. He is married, even if his new wife is psycho."

"Well not that I'm trying to help you, but you should get married. Then you will be the one who receives the children, especially after you tell them about her. But now I'm becoming bored with this so I think I will leave." He began to get up and walk to the fire. However when he put his hand in the floo powder pot, Hermione spoke.

"When am I supposed to find a husband on such a short notice? My court date is in a fortnight. No one can fall in love that quickly."

"Granger, you don't need to fall in love with someone. You just need a man. Where you find one is your problem."

"Would it have to be permanent?"

"I would assume not unless the court just wants to say they were wrong, which never happens, you should be fine with a divorce after a month." Draco said this with his bored sounding drawl. In all honesty, he was in a rush to get out there. Earlier he had realized she could very well come to the decision to ask him for help. He could say no, but when it came to getting the children away from Astoria, he would say yes. He had one foot in the fireplace and was about to say his address when she said it.

"Will you marry me?"


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: Hey y'all, just wanted to say thank you so much for all your support! I had not expected so many people to like my story; to be honest I wasn't going to finish it. But I am and can't wait to read everyone's reactions. Well, here is chapter two for everyone!

With his back still turned away from her he drawled out, "Granger, what do you mean 'will you marry me?' I thought it was quite obvious that I was civil to you only because you are my partner." Draco was trying to change her mind. He would say 'yes' if she truly wanted his help, but he would try to dissuade her first.

"Malfoy, you said yourself that it would only have to be temporary. Plus, don't you want to put Astoria in her place? I know that you loathe her immensely."

Draco held his breath and slowly turned around to face Hermione. He tried to keep his cold exterior while he examined her expression. She looked broken and tired. As she held her son's toy in her hand, he realized that he could not allow this woman to be separated from her children. He closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. "I will do it. I will marry you. But I do have some conditions."

Hermione's eyes lit up. She knew that with Malfoy's help she would keep custody of her son and daughter. She didn't care what his conditions were. She would give him anything he asked, just as long as at the end of this endeavor she would still have custody of her children. "Anything, Malfoy. You are helping me so any way I can help you help me, I will."

Draco just looked at her like she had grown another head for a second then gained his "Malfoy posture" once again. "Well, to begin with, this arrangement will only last as long as I deem fit which will be until it is safe to assume the court will not go against its earlier ruling. Also, we will use any and all evidence we can find against Weasley and Astoria no matter how vile it might seem to you. I guess to make this believable, you and your children should move into one of the family estates with me. And do not worry; it will not be the manor. If I think of anything else to add to this list, there will not be any arguments." Draco hoped that what he was demanding would change Hermione's mind, however her face had not changed in the time he had spoken.

Hermione's mind was in overdrive, but she refused to let Malfoy see it. She was focused on the fact that her childhood enemy turned reluctant partner was now sitting in her living room drawing up terms to a temporary marriage that would hopefully stop both of their old relationship partners from taking her children. A part of her was mighty curious as to Malfoy's reasoning behind helping her. She felt there was something else besides the need to stop Astoria but she hesitated to ask for fear that he would turn her and her family away. She held her tongue and remembered her earlier promise to him- she would do anything to receive his help. So she stayed true to her word and agreed wholeheartedly, with a smile on her face, to his demands. "When do you think we should get married?"

"I believe sooner would be better, don't you?" He was dreading moving her in with him. He was dreading having to deal with her twenty-four seven. He was not happy with himself for this decision but he knew he would be even more upset if he did not help her at all. He knew his need to help her came from his own relationship with his mother. He hoped, though, that during the duration of this relationship Hermione would not ask questions about his family relationships or why he was helping her. In all the years they had been partners, she had not asked about his past. Maybe she would not start now.

Hermione began to make plans in her head for this endeavor she was about to embark on with Malfoy. She watched as he slowly made his way to the chair he had previously occupied. "Well, I believe you should stay for dinner so that you can meet Hugo and Rose. Tomorrow, probably, would be the best day to go see an officiate to get married. We can go after work. Then we should see a lawyer to begin our case against Ronald and Astoria. We might be able to hold that off for a day. I think moving in tomorrow would be a smart idea as well."

The afternoon passed in this manner with the two of them making and discussing plans. She would take his name, of course, to make their marriage seem legitimate. Hermione would wear the Malfoy wedding ring which Draco would receive from his mother tomorrow at lunch in a big public setting. They would be affectionate in front of people and invite people over to their home often to show how great a family they had created. They worked on being civil with one another and created a story of how they had fallen in love. Hermione told Draco everything there was to know about the children and Draco was very confident in his knowledge of them. They had also come to the conclusion that Draco would go out on outings with the children to show that he loved them like his own. There was nothing left out in their afternoon conversation. By the end of the discussion they had come to terms with calling each other by their first name, only for image purposes of course.

The two Aurors had just began to have a lull in their conversation when the floo network could be heard activating. Exclamations of "Mummy" could be heard from both Rose and Hugo as they stepped out of the grate with Ginny Potter in tow. Hermione's eyes lit up at the sight of her children running towards her for a hug. She glanced over at Draco as they wrapped their little arms around her to ascertain his reaction to them. His face was blank, guarded, almost like he was afraid of the two. It was obvious that he was comfortable only in his knowledge of her kids and that he had little knowledge of what to do with them in person. Hermione let go of her children and turned her head to Ginny as they chattered on about their day. The red head seemed oddly calm with Draco's presence in her friend's home, she thought, as she nodded her head and said 'ohs' and 'ahhs' at the appropriate moments in her children's story.

As if Ginny could understand Hermione's thoughts she stated, "Harry explained that something happened today at the office and that Malfoy had brought you home." Turning with a slight sneer on her face to Draco she said, "You can leave now. I will take care of her for the rest of the evening. I'm sure she doesn't want to be in your presence any longer than necessary, ferret."

Hermione saw Draco's eyes become furious and immediately jumped in to intervene. "Children, why don't you go wash up so we can all cook supper together?" The children smiled at their mother, then ran off down the hallway towards their bathroom, laughing and chatting about their day. Hermione smiled slightly after them, then turned back to diffuse the situation between Draco and Ginny. "Actually Ginny, Draco is here because I want him to be. Well, it's more like I need him to be here. Why wouldn't I want the man I love here to comfort me when I'm having a bad day?" With those words, Hermione reached across the chair and grabbed Draco's hand with a sweet smile gracing her lips. Between them, a look was passed that showed how disgusted they were with having to touch each other, but to Ginny it looked as if they were truly in love. Still holding Draco's hand, Hermione turned to look at Ginny.

A bug could have flown into Ginny Potter's mouth at that moment and she never would have noticed. She was in a state of disbelief that her best girlfriend and ex-sister-in-law was sitting there declaring her love to their childhood nemesis. She was at a loss for words as she looked into Hermione's face. She looked happy and in love. What was she to do? "Uh… blimey. What is this about? When did it happen? How did it happen? Have you lost your bloody mind Hermione? Obviously you have because you look happy and obviously I am too because I'm happy that your happy even if it is with him. But honestly, I want answers." Ginny hadn't taken a breath the entire time she has spoken, but that was understandable in this dramatic situation as far as she was concerned.

Hermione was silent for a brief moment then she began to tell Ginny her false love story. "I guess you could say he helped me mend my broken heart after Ronald left me. He had just become such a constant in my life, what with being my partner, that one day when we had a rather difficult mission and I had been so worried about my children that I just broke down. Draco comforted me while I was crying. He was just so sweet and understanding that I couldn't help myself. We kissed and it was like magic, like we were the only people in the world." She turned to look at Draco with a smile lighting her beautiful face. Draco played his part by lifting up their laced fingers and kissing her hand while staring lovingly into her eyes. The thought of 'we are brilliant actors' crossed Hermione's mind before she continued. "The next day he took me out to dinner and have been together ever since."

Ginny looked like she was truly happy for her friend, oddly enough. Ginny thought that if Hermione honestly loved him, then that was enough for her. The hard part was breaking the news to everyone else. They wouldn't be as understanding. "Well, I am thrilled for you, Hermione, even if it is a relationship with him. I just hope you know this is going to be difficult to explain to the others. If he is here taking care of you, there is no reason for me to stay any longer. I won't tell Harry the news. I'll let you open that cage of pixies. I'll be seeing you soon." With those short words and a parting smile, Ginny threw a pinch of floo powder into the fire and was gone.

All that could be heard in Hermione's flat after Ginny's departure was the sound of Rose and Hugo washing up in the bathroom. As the shock of Ginny's leaving wore off, Hermione and Draco quickly let go of the other's hand while they collected their thoughts. The brunette was the first to break the silence by bringing up her thoughts from earlier. "We are brilliant actors if my best friend believes us. I can't believe she was so understanding, not that I'm complaining, mind you."

"Yes, we are quite believable, are we not? However, I might die of all this lovey-dovey stuff before the arrangement is over." Draco sneered for a brief moment until he heard the pitter-patter of Rose and Hugo running down the hall towards the two adults. His face turned paler than usual, if that was possible, as he took a gulp. Hermione had no idea that the only thing that could bring down a Malfoy was children and this new knowledge made her want to laugh.

"It seems that the most challenging part of this arrangement is coming towards us. Prepare yourself, Malfoy."


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note:** Hey y'all! Sorry it took so long for this story to be put up. I had to move to school- I'm a junior at a Uni- and I just finished my first week at school. My beta just started school as well, so she has not been able to beta this chapter yet. Because of this, please excuse any misspelling and grammar issues for now. I will update this chapter again once it has been beta-ed. I didn't want to keep y'all waiting any longer. so here is chapter three and four is in the works! emma

P.S. this is the only time that i will put on here that these are my characters.

Hermione tried to obtain Hugo and Rose's attention as she attempted to make dinner. Rose and Hugo could have cared less at the moment as to what their mother was going to make for dinner as they were fascinated by Draco. The three were sitting at the kitchen table, locked in a heated staring and silent contest. Hermione shook her head at them then started to make Sheppard's pie for dinner.

After about five minutes of the stalemate between Draco and the two brunettes that Rose finally spoke up. "Why is your hair so white? And your eyes so grey? They look funny. My daddy has red hair and blue eyes. He looks funny, too. Why don't you smile? It's fun to smile. I know, why don't I tell you a joke!" Rose was talking about sixty kilometers a second and Draco was having difficulty keeping up. Before he could even process what Rose had said to him, Rose was already at full speed again telling her joke. Rose allowed no time for Draco to answer the joke either. She answered her own joke immediately and was giggling hysterically leaving Draco completely in the dark. Draco assumed that the child would want some sort of recognition for her "brilliant" joke and so began to laugh along with her. So far, Draco thought, everything is going fine.

Even though things seemed to be going well so far, the fact was that children were a hold new experience for Draco so when Hugo asked if he would come play, Draco's slight confidence started to dwindle. He turned to Hermione for guidance on the matter and received a non-verbal queue to follow the children into the living room. Hugo ran over to the wooden trunk that looked oddly like an old Hogwart's school trunk and started to rummage through. After a minute of frantic searching, Hugo emerged with three toy wands. His sister's face lit up with excitement as if a secret message had had been communicated between the two about the game they were to play.

"We are going to play Aurors and Death Eaters. It's our favorite game. Rose and I are going to be the aurors and you can be the Death Eater." Draco tried to smile at the children but was somewhat shocked and upset with their game. However he would not show the children this and took the offered toy wand. "Mommy has made some rules though. She says that we can't use any unforgivables and that we have to give the person playing the Death Eater a chance to say why they chose to be a Death Eater." With Hugo's revelation about his mother's rules Draco became a little confused. Why would Hermione have her children ask for a reason behind the "Death Eaters" choices? Draco shook it off and decided to play with the kids.

With the nod of Draco's head the game began promptly as both children pointed their wands at him. Hugo began to run towards Draco, so he dodged Rose's pretend spell and began running from Hugo. Similar scenarios continued to play out for about fifteen minutes until Draco finally allowed the children to catch him. However, Draco became uncomfortable with the idea of a "reasoning trial" from the "aurors" and decided to instead tackle the boy and girl to the ground. Hugo and Rose began laughing and squealing immediately as Draco tickled them. A few minutes of rolling on the floor evolved into the three sitting crossed legged on the floor playing a children's matching game. Hugo and Rose told Draco about the events of their day with Aunt Ginny, often spouting into random little stories like children do. As the time passed, Draco became more relaxed and found the two quite adorable.

When an hour playing had passed, a call came out from the kitchen declaring supper to be ready. At the promise of food, the two children jumped up and dashed into the dining room. Draco had a smile on his face as he watched them run off. 'Who knew I had a soft spot for children' thought Draco as he too headed towards the table.

Dinner went really well considering who the two adults were. In fact, it was almost like they were a real family. As the night progressed, this image of the perfect family continued while Draco helped ready the two for bed with Hermione. He assisted in bath time and when it came time for the bed time story, the children asked him to read it. Draco had not been expecting to like the children as much as he did, seeing as whose offspring they were, but he found that he liked their energy and inquisitive natures very much. When the children were all tucked in and sleeping, Hermione walked Draco to the fireplace. They made a quick list of their activities tomorrow and then said an awkward goodnight.

The next morning found Hermione and Draco once again running into the other on the lift to their floor. No one else had hopped on with them, so they a had a brief moment to converse before the acting began. It was agreed that not too much affection would be displayed between them at work; they would only display enough to make it obvious they were now a couple. As the lift came to a stop, they each took a deep breath and walked out the door grabbing the other's hand.

With smiles on their face, they walked into the auror bullpen. They talked about their evening together the day before loud enough so the others in the room could hear and ask what was going on between them. As they made their way to their desks, Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist and kissed her cheek before he went to his seat and she went to hers. They were getting looks form everyone in the area until Harry Potter walked over to their joint desks. He gave the other workers a tight look before slapping papers on both Hermione and Draco's desks. He tilted his head towards his office door and made a quick about face. The two exchanged glances before getting back up and following Harry to his office.

"I'm not going to ask what is going on between the two of you, at least not here. However, I need you both to begin to research and investigation on the man in that paperwork." With Harry's words Hermione and Draco looked down at the paperwork in their hands. The papers had a picture of a red head, freckled faced man. In bold print next to the moving picture of was written "Ronald B. Weasley". Hermione looked up at Harry with a quizzical look. "You left your letter open on your desk yesterday. I noticed the Ministry seal and thought it might be an official issue. I read it and decided you needed help. So, I want you to do all the research you can on his life since your divorce to use against him in court."

Draco reached across his chair and grabbed Hermione's hand. Hermione let a fleeting smile show on her face before she became serious again. "Harry, you're his best friend and his brother-in-law. Why are you allowing me to do the research on him at work? Why are you helping me stop him from taking my children? You have never taken sides between us before. Why now?" Hermione was a little glad that Harry allowed her research to be a work assignment because now she would not have to take time away from her children. She was curious to know how Harry could choose to help her over Ronald.

"Hermione, my reasons are simple. No man should try to take a woman's children away from her, especially for no reason. He might be my best friend, but something hasn't been right with him for a while; he just isn't the same man. I want you to keep your children and I will help as much as I can. As for you and Malfoy are concerned, expect a floo call from me soon. I want to know what is going on."

Hermione and Draco could tell that their meeting with the auror was done so the two stood and began to head to their desks again, hoping that maybe they could actually start on some work. They spent their day looking through all of Ron's expense history and all the newspaper clippings they could collect from the Prophet's achieve and magazine articles. When it became eleven-thirty, the two slowed down and began to discuss their plans for lunch. They decided that Hermione would have lunch with some co-workers. By doing this, they hoped that their friend's would ask questions. She was prepared to answer their many questions they had, but she was worried about Draco's meeting with his mother. With a reassurance conversation from Draco, the two hugged and Draco kissed her cheek before separating for lunch.

Draco walked towards the restaurant he was to meet his mother. He had sent an owl to his mother the night before asking her to choose a ring from the Malfoy vault for him and to bring it to the Dragon's Layer at noon. He had also started a small rumor before work telling of his planned meeting with his mother and the nature of the gathering. He hoped that the Prophet would get wind of the get-together and write an article about his engagement between him and Hermione. As he walked into the five star restaurant, he became slightly nervous of his mother's reaction.

Upon walking into the restaurant, the host quickly sat him at a private table that was always reserved for his family. He was poured a small glass of the most expensive wine available. It was going to be a stressful lunch break, so he took a healthy swig of his wine. As he sat his glass down, Narcissa Malfoy walked through the front door, regal looking with her tailor made robes and long blonde hair. He quickly straightened his clothing and stood up to greet her. A quick peck on each cheek was his greeting as he pulled out her chair. She sat down and gave her son a sweet smile as he took his seat across from her. "How are you today, Mother," Draco asked.

"I'm doing well, darling, but let us move on to the matter at hand if you do not mind. I would like to know the reason you asked me for an engagement ring even though I do not know your intended. I want to know the whole story, Draco." Narcissa Malfoy gave her son a stern look, but in her eyes was a hint of joy brought on by the knowledge that her son had fallen in love.

Draco gave his mother an apologetic look for not having told her sooner about his lady and began to give her the story he and Hermione had produced not a day before. With each word Draco spoke, Narcissa's face began to show the joy that had at first only been visible in her eyes when Draco had finished his tale, Narcissa had a smile on her face that was almost unseen on an aristocrat's face.

"Draco, that is wonderful! I'm so glad you're happy. However, love, you forgot to mention the lovely girl's name." At his mother's words, Draco's face faltered. He had never been nervous about his mother's approval of his marriage. He was nervous of her knowing who his wife to be actually was. With a refusal to let her see his worry, Draco cleared his throat and declared, "Hermione Granger, mother, is my wife to be. That is who I will be marrying whether you approve of her or not. I love her." As Draco looked across the table though, he found little reason to be worried. Narcissa's smile was from diamond earring to diamond earring.

"Draco, that is wonderful! I'm so glad you have found someone, and your love story is lovely sounding. Darling, it does not matter to me who she was in the past or who she is born from. Though, Draco, did she not have children with a Mr. Weasley in a previous marriage?"

"Yes, Mother. She has a son and a daughter. They live with her. They are quite delightful children and they will be moving in with me when their mother does. Mother, this is my decision and if you do not like what I am doing with my life, then you will lose a son." Draco was not going to let his mother rule his life. He loved her, but he had let his parent's control his childhood and young adulthood far too long. He had worked hard to get his life on the right track again. She was not going to ruin what he had started.

"Draco, darling, you do not have to explain yourself to me. It is your life. What you choose to do is fine with me. I will stand by you like you stood by me when it cost you your childhood. Plus, I have wanted grandchildren ever since you have been old enough to have children of your own. Now, I will not have any more negative arguments. Now let us order and you may collect your ring for your new fiancé."

When lunch had finished and Draco was waiting at his desk for Hermione to come back from her lunch break. He felt closer to his mother after their lunch. He was even more conflicted in his decision to help Hermione and her children. He was ready for the afternoon. He waited for the rest of the department for about five minutes and once everyone else arrived, work began on the Weasley case immediately after a quick hug to Hermione.


	4. Chapter 4

The afternoon continued as the morning had with Hermione and Draco digging up as much information as they could about Ron's quidditch trips during and after the marriage. Draco contacted Ronald's teammates on the Chudley Cannons to set up interviews about Weasley's behavior while he was on the team. They also looked up all the pubs and taverns that would have been visited by Ronald on his away games. Draco was convinced the famous man had strayed and that was his reason for his divorce. Hermione, with some trepidation, looked for any birth certificates that might have her former husband as the father to a child that was not hers. She was distraught to think that her children's father and her old best friend could even cheat on her let alone father someone else's child. She was simply waiting for an owl from St. Mungo's with the information.

As the work day came to a close, the time came for Draco and Hermione to meet with the clerk to file for a marriage license. As the others left the office, Draco grabbed Hermione's petite hand with his large one as he walked her to the Department of Human Resources. The officiate, Mr. Carmicle, was very surprised when the young Malfoy sauntered into his office holding the hand of the most famous muggleborn witch in the world. He was momentarily skeptical as to why they were getting married until he looked upon their faces. Hermione's eyes were sparkling like chocolate diamonds and Draco had a smile on his face that was not expressed very often. To a man who had married hundreds of people, these two looked as if they were truly in love.

"Good afternoon. I assume you are here for a marriage license. Am I right to assume that you two have chosen to marry?" Hermione and Draco answered with what could be called affectionate smiles towards each other, Carmicle continued, "I would say very odd, but you look to be in love. At any rate I will need you both to fill out a slight amount of forms and then we can perform the short wand ceremony and sign the marriage license. I should have the two of you out of here within thirty minutes." As Carmicle spoke these words he handed Draco and Hermione the forms and quills to fill them out. The two sat down in the oversized armchairs in front of the oak desk and began filling out the necessary information. "I'm quite surprised that a couple as in love as the two of you seem to be didn't want to have a grand ceremony. I would have thought you two being who you are would want to show off to the world how in love you've become."

Draco and Hermione paused in their writing to look at each other at Carmicle's statement. Although their mouths were formed into "loving" smiles, their eyes showed their lack of enthusiasm at this observation. Hermione was, as always, quick to respond. "Well, Draco and I just want to be married as soon as possible. We love each other so much and he loves my children so dearly that we could not wait another moment to live together as a family. We are both so old fashioned though when it comes to living together that a swift marriage seemed to be the best answer. We might have a grand wedding at a later date. And if my love's mother has any say in the matter, it will be quite the extravaganza." She landed a short but sweet peck on Draco's cheek before returning to her parchment. Draco's face showed his shock for a fraction of a second before it again displayed his apparent joy of their upcoming union.

"Well, without any further wait, let's proceed with the wand ceremony." Mr. Carmicle stood from his chair and gave Hermione and Draco the signal to stand as well. "Now that we are all complete with the paperwork, the ceremony takes no time. First face each other and grab each other's left hand. Now I will place my left hand over your joined hands. Very good. Now with your wand hands, make a semi-circle; Hermione yours will go right and Draco yours will go left essentially making a circle. While you do this wand movement, you will all say the incantation 'with the love of the earth and the magic in my blood, I connect myself to you.' If there are no questions, let us continue." As Draco and Hermione began the wand movements and spoke the incantation, Mr. Carmicle spoke a blessing of love everlasting over them. When he finally completed the prayer, the two were pronounced husband and wife. Draco pulled the antique ring he had acquired from his mother out of his pocket to present it to Hermione. It was a circular half karat diamond encircled with emeralds on a white gold band. A huge gasp escaped her lips at the beauty of the ring as Draco placed it on her finger. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and gave him a tight hug. He was slightly taken aback at first, but then he slowly started to wrap his arms around her. It was only to keep their charade up, is what he told himself.

"Well, that is touching to behold, but you must kiss for me to officially seal the bond," said Mr. Carmicle with a slight gleam in his eye. Startled, Hermione and Draco jumped apart. Hermione had a slight blush on her cheeks accompanying a smile that gave off the impression of the perfect new bride while Draco squared his shoulders and placed a gigantic grin on his face. With two deep breaths, their lips met for a brief second. The peck was so quick, if Carmicle had chosen that moment to blink, Hermione and Draco would have had to repeat the intimate act. "Awe, good. Now, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy just sign your marriage certificate and you can begin your happy life together as man and wife." Carmicle handed them their quills from earlier and watched as they signed their names.

"Well, it is official. You are now a Malfoy," Draco said in a slightly cautious tone. His feet carried him towards the apparition area without any effort, so he was able to occasional sneak glances at Hermione to ascertain her feelings on the past few events. He had just kissed, however briefly, his childhood enemy turned partner. He was a little shook up but tried to keep a cool appearance visible.

"Yes, I am. I'm also one step closer to having full custody of my children." Hermione's smile lit her face and she had a slight bounce in her step as she and Draco continued on their way. She kept rambling on though, like she didn't want to process what had just transpired in the officiate office. "I found some interesting articles and some fascinating revelations for leads on where to take our investigation tomorrow. I think we might have a strong case against Ronald. And with this marriage, nothing will go wrong. My excitement over all these events must be affecting my brain! I ramble on like this. "

Draco just awkwardly laughed at her and kept walking. His mind was focused on the next few hours in which Hermione and her children would be packing up important personal belongings and then moving to his family estate in South England. It was a quite cottage like villa in a private clearing in the woods. The house boasted a lovely dining room, living room, den, two offices, a library, five bedrooms, and extensive grounds.

"Now, let's go home. I need to get things ready for the kids to move. You can help me move everything. I'll meet you at my house." With her words, Hermione turned on her heel and was gone. Draco stood in one place for a moment thinking about his life and the last few days. In a matter of days, a miniscule amount of time considering how long he had been on the planet, his life had gone from just concerned with him and his mother to being concerned with a woman and her children as well. He had always imaged his life would come to this point at a much older age with quite a bit more planning beforehand. He especially didn't picture his family consisting of Hermione Granger and her two children by Ronald Weasley. His life had taken an abrupt turn and Draco wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad one yet.

Rose and Hugo stood next to the fireplace in their home with bags of their favorite toys and clothes resting on the floor beside them. Draco had shrunk Hermione's old Hogwarts trunk filled with the children's toys and placed it in his pocket. Hermione had checked all the wards surrounding the house and did one more run through of the rooms to make sure nothing personal had been left. The furniture and larger items would be left for the time being as their new villa had already furnished for them.

"Well, if everything is together, we best be getting on our way. I'll go first, Hermione, and then send the children through." Draco had been all business as they packed up. He was nervous about his new arrangement. After the night before, Draco already was feeling a slight connection to the children. He had hoped to distance himself from the two little Weasleys, but every time he looked into those freckled faces he could not help but feel his heart beat quicken and his exterior become less frigid. With these thoughts in his head and smile at his "family", Draco grabbed his luggage and floo-ed away.

Quickly after Draco's departure, Hermione sent Rose and then Hugo through the grate. While Hugo was being transported, Hermione did one last paranoid search of the house. Her mind was on overdrive. Her children had seemed so excited to see Draco again and even happy to be moving into a new house with him. Hermione was only slightly surprised with her children's reaction to the new series of events; she was more concerned with Draco's behavior. What had gotten into him? He had shut himself down since a few hours ago. She was a little confused and somewhat anxious over it. He had hardly talked while they had been packing up her flat and he had seemed distant from the children. He seemed like he had become all business which seemed slightly odd to her since what had transpired yesterday. She decided she would think about it later, when they went to bed. She froze at that thought. She was going to share a room with Draco. "No wonder he shut down," she thought as she bucked up the courage to floo to her new home.

It was official; the children loved their new home and found Draco simply wonderful as a father. After an hour of Rose and Hugo running around the house while the adults unpacked, the family settled in the grand dining room for dinner; Hermione had spent the last thirty minutes of the evening preparing a simple dinner of chicken and salad. The children ate like they had been famished only interrupting their chewing every few minutes to bring up an event that had happened during the day or to talk about their new home. Draco engaged in the children's conversation very willingly but to Hermione's eye it seemed liked there was tension in his face. She knew that once the children were down for bed, they would need to talk.

When dinner was done, Hugo and Rose went exploring the house a little more while their parents cleaned up. While cleaning the dishes and the kitchen, Hermione broached the subject of their sleeping arrangements. "Draco, I had a thought about something earlier that I don't think we have discussed yet. What do we plan to do about where we will be sleeping? I know we will obviously be sleeping in the master bedroom, but how will we sleep?"

Draco seemed to blanch at the subject. He stopped drying the dishes and looked at Hermione like he had just seen Snape's ghost. "We have not discussed that, have we? Well, we could split the mattress in halves. Each of us would then gain a decent size bed for ourselves to sleep in and during the day we could move them back together. Is that agreeable for you?" Draco held his breath when he finished speaking. He profusely hoped that she did not have any issues with that arrangement.

"No, that sounds like a reasonable solution. I have no objections what so ever. I would like to talk to you later though about your attitude if you don't mind. You have just seemed off since this afternoon. I don't want the children to hear though so we can talk once they have gone to bed if that's ok by you." Hermione seemed adamant about their upcoming conversation. Draco had no desire to really protest the discussion but before he even got the chance Hermione was calling the children for their baths.

Once the children were tucked in after Draco read them a story, Draco and Hermione met in their room for their previously planned conversation. Hermione stood in her large walk in closet changing into her oversized Gryffindor t-shirt and pulled her hair into a messy bun as she organized her thoughts. Draco stood in the bedroom separating their mattress while he waited for Hermione. He was not sure how much he would tell her about his thoughts and feelings, but he knew he had to be for the most part forthcoming with information or there could be potential for snags in their charade. He began to understand that he was a father and that what he did now was not just about him but about his new family as well. It was getting cleat to him that messing this up would affect others.

As Hermione came out of her closet, Draco could not help but notice how long and lean her legs looked coming out from that baggy shirt. He shook his head to clear it of the dirty thoughts and images going through his mind of what she would look like in one of his old Slytherine shirts. He needed to focus on the conversation at hand. He had no idea what Hermione wanted to discuss but he did know it was serious by the look across her beautiful features.

"Draco, after we got married today, you seemed to shut down. You seemed just fine at work today and even while in Carmicle's office. What is on your mind? I think we need to be honest and trust each other for this arrangement to work. Please tell me." Hermione had walked over to her bed during her speech all the while imploring with her body language and movements that she really needed to know what thoughts were going through Draco's mind.

With a deep sigh, Draco began to answer Hermione. "To be honest, I am just a tad bit worried. I do not want to mess this up by protecting myself. I am afraid I will grow too attached to your children though and so I am fighting my instincts to be rude and uncaring. I have started to revert back to old instincts like keeping my distance and I am attempting to combat them, which is hard. Granger, I am not a fan of yours by any stretch of the imagination, but I think I love your children. I do not want to ruin your lives when I am meant to be helping , but I do have some personal issues that I will be constantly fighting to maintain. You of all people should know how brooding I can become. While I deal with my person dilemmas, I will strongly attempt to keep them out of the way. However, I will need some personal space at times so that I can regroup when certain situations become too difficult. "

Hermione was experiencing some mixed emotions at Draco's words. She was a little hurt by Draco's admittance that he didn't like her, but it really wasn't that much of a surprise for her. She was shocked, though, that he had admitted to being attached to her children but was saddened by his compulsive need to push them away. She knew there was more to his attitude as of late that he wasn't letting on, but she expected his need to be reclusive and held her tongue. She let a weak but understanding smile pass her lips as she said, "Draco, whatever you are going through, I know must be tough. You can talk to me about it if you would like when you are ready. I just want to say thank you again though for what you are doing for my children and me."

When Hermione had finished speaking she turned down her blankets and crawled under them. Draco did the same and turned off the lights with his wand. Once in the darkness, his mind wondered to his childhood and how it was affecting his adulthood. He knew he needed to let go of the painful memories of the war and the effect it had on his family, but he understood that his release from his torment would take years. He was slightly thankful that if he needed someone to talk to, Hermione would be available; the reality was that it could take years or some extreme source of magic for him to ever like Hermione enough to even consider talking to her about what haunted his every moment. The one comfort he had been able to glean since the war was that no one child would have to go through what he went through as a child again and that no horrors like the ones he had witnessed as a child would happen to him as an adult. The rein of darkness was over. With the thought of his life finally free of pure evil, Draco began to let sleep takeover.

Draco and Hermione had not been asleep for an hour when a soft knock could be heard on the door. The mahogany door creaked open and tiny padded footsteps could be heard making their way across the floor. A "Mummy, I can't sleep," came from Hugo's mouth as he nudged Hermione's sleeping frame with his little hand. "I had a nightmare." Without fully waking up, Hermione moved over in her bed and lifted the covers up so Hugo could slide in. As she snuggled him close to her, Hugo's small voice broke the silent darkness once again saying, "Mummy, I want to sleep next to Draco too like with Daddy. Why do you not share a bed like with Daddy?" At Hugo's question, both Hermione and Draco jolted awake.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello Y'all! SO sorry that it took so long to get this up! But i jsut finished my junior year at University so I will be updating much more now. I will have a new chapter up every two weeks, I promise! Hope everyone is still with me! And so y'all know what happened last time, Draco and Hermione got married and moved in together. And when we left, Hugo had just come into their bedroom after having a nightmare. Review please.

Hermione was shocked at Hugo's words. She looked across the room to Draco who wore a look on his face like a man who had just seen a ghost (for the first time). She was silent for a split second before she spoke, "Hugo, Draco and I were just-," she paused trying to think of a reason she and Draco were in separate beds. Before she could finish though, Draco completed her statement.

"We were just about to move the beds back together. The house elves were playing a trick on us." He gave a quick glance to Hermione before he grabbed his wand. He silently stepped out of the bed and pointed his wand at the mattress. He muttered the counter-charm to attach the bed again and then crawled back under the blankets. Hermione glanced over at her new husband before she lifted up the blanket on her side. Hugo ignored her offer to sleep on the edge next to her and climbed up the center from the bottom of the bed. He situated himself in between the two of them before laying down.

Hugo's smile could be seen in the candle light as he reached his hand out to tug Draco closer. "Mummy and my Daddy used to cuddle me. You can too since your my daddy now as well." As Draco hesitated for a brief moment, Hugo grabbed his hand and pulled his arm over Hermione's waist and then cuddled his head into Draco's chest. Draco looked over to Hermione who simply shrugged her shoulders and then placed a hand on Hugo's head to rub his hair back out of his eyes. The child had already gone back to sleep.

Draco and Hermione were silent as they stared at each other over Hugo's sleeping form. The same thought was going through their minds. They were never going to be able to sleep apart again. Hermione, ever the realist, shrugged her shoulders as if to say "what can be done" before kissing the young boy's head and closing her eyes for sleep.

The next morning found Hermione and Draco cuddled together and Hugo at an angle near the foot of the bed. As a house elf entered the room with a loud crack, the three occupants of the room jolted awake. Hermione and Draco split from each other as if they had been shot with a curse. Hermione blushed, but didn't say anything as she "accio-ed" her dress robe to herself. She pulled it on as she stepped to the foot of the bed to pick up Hugo's still sleepy frame. She slightly blushed as she turned around to face Draco. "You can have the shower first. I'm going to go get the children ready." She quickly exited the bedroom without allowing him to speak .

Hermione carried Hugo down the hall to the playroom before going to wake Rose. Rose was happy to see her Mum but wondered aloud if Draco was still present in the house. Hermione laughed at her daughter and explained again that Draco was a member of their family now and he would be there every day when she woke up. After a brief hug between the two, Hermione took Rose into the playroom with Hugo. She collected a set of clothes for each child and instructed them to get dressed before joining her in the kitchen for breakfast.

She silently walked back down the corridor to the master bed chamber. She was still embarrassed over the night before and did not really wish to see Draco, but she needed a shower and to prepare herself for work. She braced herself as she came to the large oak doors. She pushed the handle and opened the doors. Draco was standing at the opening to his closet without any clothing covering his body. His back looked strong and was smooth; Hermione could help but stare at it. She was having trouble deciding if she should clear her throat or just back out of the room. Before she could make a decision, Draco turned around to face her. Hermione blushed immediately upon seeing the rest of his naked body. His muscles were strong, lean, and toned from his training as an Auror, and his skin was flawless with a spattering of light blond hair covering his chest. And his forearms were strong looking, as if they could easily lift her up, and she could just barely make out the Dark Mark on his left arm. He looked up when he heard a soft draw of breath and looked straight into her shocked eyes.

Draco looked startled for a split second before that cocky smirk appeared on his lips. "Well Granger, you like what you see? I thought you were taking care of the children or was that just a story so you could sneak in and find me like this?" Draco said the words with a sound of pure triumph and did not bother to cover himself the entire time he spoke.

At Draco's words, Hermione's mind sprang into action. "Well Malfoy, you're not the first man I've seen naked. And you certainly aren't anything special." Hermione started to make her way from the doorway where she had been standing for the past few minutes to the bathroom, attempting to look as if she wasn't the one who had just walked in on him. "Now if you don't mind moving your scrawny ass and little family jewels, I'll be taking my turn in the bathroom." She did not turn around to see his reaction to her statement. If she had, she would have seen Draco's flabbergasted face.

Hermione shut the bathroom door quickly. She braced herself against it for a second to catch a breath. The witch silently congratulated herself on a show well performed because boy had she been lying. He had been a sight to behold. Auror training had done him well because the skinny boy he had been at Hogwarts was no longer present. She had loved his six pack and the "V" that was engraved in muscles pointing to his "package". And oh did he have a manhood. She had felt the full extent of his erection when she had woken up that morning. He was well endowed, and not just in Gringotts. As she started to undress herself for her shower, it was all she could think about. She let her mind wonder about how good sexual intercourse would be with him. Her mind drifted for a brief amount of time before she came to he senses and realized who she was fanaticizing about. "Snap out of it, Hermione," she said to herself. "He is Malfoy and you will not think of him like that again." With that chastisement from herself, she stepped out of the shower and dressed for the day before heading down to breakfast.

Upon arriving downstairs, Hermione knew something was not right. She entered the kitchen, noticed the children eating at the table and Draco was propped up on the counter sipping tea with a smirk on his lips. Nothing seemed weird, until she noticed at what Draco was smirking. There, sitting on the opposite counter, where four Howlers and five rather normal looking letters. Hermione froze at the kitchen door, not wanting to open them. Yet, she knew if she didn't they would explode and the children would be able to hear all that was written. Oh, but those harsh words were not some that she wanted to hear.

Draco chuckled under his breath and then spoke. "Children, please take your breakfast into the sitting room." Rose and Hugo grabbed their pancakes and left the room. Hermione heard a snicker leave Draco's mouth as she approached the Howlers.

The first one was from Ronald. It opened up as her fingers touched the flap and the redhead's angry voice burst into the room.

"HERMIONE JEAN WEASLEY! I CAN NOT believe you married that PRAT! What were you thinking? I don't want that PUREBLOOD SUPRIMIAST anywhere near my children! You will be hearing from my lawyer immediately about moving our court date to a sooner date! You are FILTH for being with him and a SLUT for letting him touch you!"

Hermione choked back a sob. She had expected worse from him actually. This was nothing compared to how bad it could have been. Astoria must have been in the room, or else that Howler would have been at its full potential. Speaking of Astoria, the next Howler Hermione touched was actually from her.

"DRACO MALFOY! How dare you marry? You were supposed to be mourning my leaving you, not getting married to the next WHORE who passed you! And what the FUCK! Those will be my children so back the FUCK OFF!"

The Howler destroyed itself and Hermione looked up at Draco's face. Draco had a look on his face that screamed contempt. How dare she just assume that he would be sad about their breakup? He was the one that was mourned over, not the other way around. His hoity attitude made him even more willing to help Hermione. "Lord, I HATE THAT WOMAN!" was all he uttered as Hermione laughed at his awkward moment as she grabbed the next Howler.

"HERMIONE WEALSEY," Mrs. Weasley's voice screeched. "What do you think you are doing marring that Death Eater? You vile woman! You just want to keep my son away from his children. You are a poor excuse for a woman and my son deserves better for the mother of his children. He will win. You and that Death Eater can go to HELL!"

Hermione immediately started to tear up. How could the woman she had called her mother say such vicious things about her? "Ron must have poisoned her mind," she thought to herself. She took one long, depth breath before reaching across to the last Howler, purposely not making eye contact with Draco. She did not want to see his reaction to being referred to as a Death Eater. She braced herself as her hand made contact with the red envelope.

As the Howler opened, an all too familiar voice boomed through the room. Unlike the other three writers, this voice addressed both Hermione and Draco. "Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, I demand to see the two of you in my office as soon as you arrive at the Ministry. Hermione, I can't believe you would go off and marry without telling me, your best friend! And on a professional level, you both should have informed me, your boss, that you were marrying someone from within our department! We will discuss this at legth shortly."

Harry, thankfully, did not seem too upset over the whole ordeal, but he was bot in a good mood by any stretch of the imagination. This was evident by the use of a Howler, which Harry hated to use in normal circumstances. Draco could not really understand their superiors anger, but he had no choice but to appear in the man's office later; his career depended on it.

Hermione still stood at the counter, trying to get her emotions in order. It was going to be an interesting day, but it was a necessary one. Draco had moved himself to the kitchen table, still smirking at Hermione's discomfort- acting as if he had not just gotten chewed at as well. He was doing her a favor and the only bad news he had heard was from Astoria ( he was not worried about Potter really). From what he could tell, his marriage to Granger had only pissed off the redheaded clan and in turn made them more persistent at keeping the children to themselves. He was not about to let that happen.

As if to bring the two human occupants out of their thoughts, an owl voted startling both Hermione and Draco. Looking around the room for a second, they both realized the relatively normal looking messages sitting on the counter top untouched. Hermione sifted through the letters looking for her name. She found three notes written to her two addressed to Draco. She handed her partner his letters and waited patiently for him to begin reading them when he didn't begin after one minute, she cleared her throat to indicate that she wanted to hear what had been written to him. "Draco, we should read our letters out loud. Anything that is written on those could be used either for or against us when the court case comes so we should share everything."

Draco glared up her from under his bangs before he began reading aloud in his soothing, masculine voice. "My dearest son, when you asked for my family's engagement ring, I was not aware you would be in need of its services so soon. I must say though that I am very pleased. Mrs. Malfoy seems like a lovely woman and, if memory serves correctly, she will be an excellent match for you. And she has children! How wonderful! I have eagerly been awaiting for you to give me grandchildren, and now I can finally be a grandmother. As for the wedding. That simple ceremony will not do. You shall have a large wedding at the Manor in a few months' time. Best of Wishes. Love, Mother."

When he finished reading, Draco glanced up to llok at Hermione. She had a small smile on her lips. She looked slightly pretty to Draco with the light shining on her from the window behind her. She did not look like the teenager from school or the woman who had been his partner for three years. She became a whole new person in this light to Draco- she was a mother, a wife, and a woman who was strong and determined to keep her children. She was a beauty who he was more than happy to be helping. Of course, as these thoughts went through his mind, he scowled at her. He would never say any of that to her, let alone mention it aloud. He glared, as if letting her know not to comment, and then opened his next letter.

In Blaise Zabini's neat scroll was written, "Draco, I send my congratulations on snagging that gorgeous Gryffindor. I knew you always had a thing for her. Wish you would have given me a heads up though. Pansy was going off the deep end until I persuaded her otherwise, if you know what I mean. Well, I hope we can get together soon and discuss the many wonderful details I am sure you have. Write or floo- Blaise."

Draco's cheeks were tinted red by the time he finished reading Blaise's note. He glanced up and noticed Hermione had a subtle blush on her cheeks as well. He refused to say anything, for both of his letters had unfortunately been rather embarrassing, probably more so than his Howlers. He just hoped Granger's notes were more embarrassing than his. With a curt knod in her direction to indicated it now being her time to read, he leaned against the counter waiting for her humiliation to begin.

Hermione sighed, cleared her throat, straightened up, then opened her lips to being reading. Her first letter was from Mrs. Malfoy, which made her smile and her new husband groan. This would not be embarrassing for her, but for him. "Mrs. Malfoy, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the most prestigious and wealthy family in all of Wizarding England. I am most excited to have you and your lovely children join our family. I am very eager to meet you and discuss the large, elegant wedding we will be having here, on the estate grounds. I would also be delighted to meet my new grandchildren. How about the four of you visit the Manor this Saturday? I will not take no for an answer. Love to see you then, Lady Malfoy." Hermione paused for a breath before she said, " Your mother sounds lovely. I do want to meet her. However, could we possibly choose a different location? The Manor contains some haunting memories that I am not quite ready to revisit again." She gave Draco a pleading look before taking a deep breath. She did not give him a chance to answer because she was nervous of what he would say in reply. She truly did not want to discuss that day with him, at least right not right now. She opened her next letter quickly and began reading to avoid the topic.

"Dear Hermione, it is splendid that you have found someone to love you. I am sure he will be more than able to keep the nargles away. And the children will adore him! Seamus and I are very excited for you. You must come to dinner soon. The children need to see each other. Hoping no snorkacks invade your home- Luna and Seamus." Hermione let out a sigh of relief. Of all the stressful and embarrassing letters, count on Luna to make her feel at ease again. She was still extremely stressed though. Her best friend and boss wanted to meet her and her husband in just thirty minutes. Who knew what he was going to demand of her? What would she say? Would he side with Ron? Well she had no time to deliberate over the answers; and she certainly did not have time to look over her last letter. She glanced at it, noticed the handwriting, and sat it on the counter. "This last note will have to wait, Draco. We need to take the Children to their day care. And we need to get to the Ministry early to meet Harry. I'm worried about what could happen. I'm scared to go out there." Hermione looked a little nervous, scared, worried, sad, and above all afraid.

Draco noticed the looks on her face and considered being nice to her for a quick second. But of course, no one else was near them, so he decided against it. "Oh, what is wrong, Granger? Afraid the big, bad Potty will fire us? Take Weasel's side? Not be your friend? Grow some tits Granger and pull yourself together. He will not do anything. He is too much of a pansy and terrified of you. Plus, Ex-Death Eater husband- slash- partner. We are golden. Now let us take our leave before we are late for St. Potter." He had his signature smirk on his face as he walked out of the kitchen. Hermione could hear him calling for Hugo and Rose from the other room. Hermione was letting her glare falter slightly as she thought about what he had said. He had a point. Why should she be anxious? It was Harry. He loved her like a sister. Nothing could go wrong. She moved away from the counter and headed to find her family so they could head out for their day.

Once the two Aurors arrived at their office, Hermione dropped her purse down at her desk as well as her traveling cloak. Draco took off his personally designed traveling cloak before giving her a look that made Hermione blush. He whispered in her ear as he took her hand, "Well Mrs. Malfoy, let the performance begin." And as they headed towards the Lead Auror's office, Hermione let her mind wonder walking in on him that morning, wondering if his body would give her as many chills as his whisper just had.


End file.
